Plant-spacing machine.



J. A. LOVE.

PLANT SPAOING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 27. 1913.

Patented June 9, 1914.

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WITH/588158 ATTORNEYS J.A.LOVE. PLANT SPAGING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 27, 1913.

Patented June 9, 191i 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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J'E'S A. LOVE, OF REID SPRINGS, NORTH GARULINA.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June. 9, 1914.

Application filed August 27, 1913. Serial No. 786,885.

To all whomit may concern Be it'known that 1, Jules iklaovn, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Red Springs, in the county of Robeson and State of North Carolina, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Plant o'pacing Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates generally to machines for spacing plants by chopping out intervening plants, my object being to provide a simple and convenient arrangement of parts embodying a readilycontrollable friction drive cho ping-hoe pivoted in the frame of the mac me to oscillate laterally thereof, which may be readily adjusted and raised to an inoperative position when desired. These and other, objects will be apparent from the following description in' which reference is made to the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, and in which,

Figure 1, is a plan view of my improved machine. Fig. 2, is a vertical, longitudinal section taken substantially on line 2-2 of Fig. 1. t Fig. 3, is a vertical transverse section taken substantially on line 3-3 of Fig. 52, and, Fig. 4, is a detail perspective view of the 'upper portion of the hoe rod and its standard.

eferring now to these figures, the frame of my improved machine, indicated at A is substantially. U-shaped in form and opens rearwardly, and the draft connections indicated generally at B are connected to the forward integral cross bar} of the frame as particularly shown in Fig. 1. fhis frame A is supported by forward caster wheels- C and by rear traction wheels D, the latter frame at a point being mounted outside of the frame upon the projecting extremities of a transverse shaft 1) journaled through the rear ends of the frame and provided with a sprocket wheel d connected, by means of a sprocket chain E, to a counter shaft F extending transversely through only a portion of the forwardly of the main shaft D. I

One end of the counter shaft F: projects outwardly through the corresponding side of the frame A and extends within a thrust cup f, the side portions of the cup being acted upon by springs j so as to tendto move the counter shaft longitudinally in wardly, the inner end of the shaft being for the chopping-hoe and a journaled through an inner longitudinal frame bar A and provided with a friction disk F on its inner end.

The rear end of the inner longitudinal frame bar A supports the operators seat Gr and connects forward and rear transverse inner frame bars A and A respectively through which is journaled a longitudinal crank shaft H adjacent to the friction disk F, the forward end of this latter shaft being provided with a crank disk It. Splined on the crank shaft H, is a friction wheel H adapted for movement across and contact with the friction disk F whereby to transmit rotation from the counter shaft F to the crank shaft H at a desired s eed, the adjustment of this friction wheel I being accomplished through the use of a groove hub k secured upon one side thereof and in the groove of which is loosely disposed a collar h having side trunnions engaged by the forked forward end of a connecting link if, the rear end of this connecting link being pivotally connected to the lower end of an upright adjusting lever H intermediately pivoted ath upon a toothed segment H the lever-having a latch mechanism h to engage this segment.

'The forward integral cross bar of the frame A and the forward transverse frame upstanding V-shapd brackets I, the upper inclined toward one another and receive a horizontal pivoted bolt i.

or thinning hoe J has an the upper end of which projects within the lower portion of a tubular standard K, this standard having an intermediate collar kadjustable by a set screw or the like and provided with side trunnions engaged by one forked end of a pitman L, the opposite end of this pitman having connection with the crank pin of the crank disk h before mentioned.

At a ointabove its collar 7c the tubular standar K is provided witha vertical longitudinal slot 70 the upper end of the hoe rod 3- having a pin j which extends outwardly through this slot and is positioned in the lower end of the slot in the normal operation of the parts.

. Adjacentits upper end the tubular standard If is provided with a vertical series of transverse apertures is through selected ones of which the pivot bolt 2' may be ex- The chopping tip-standing rod J tended so as to pivot the hoe for oscillatory movement at a selected position with respect to the ground.

During the oscillatory movement of the hoe in operation its rod J will be in lowermost position due to its own weight and inasmuch as it may be desirable to raise the hoe when transporting the machine over,

the field either at the start or finish of op erations, I provide a foot lever M intermediately pivoted upon the inner longitudinal frame bar A, its rear end being provided with a foot piece. m and its forward end being provided with upwardly curved lateral extensions m arranged so that the extensions are beneath the projecting pin j of the hoe rod J during'the entire movement of the hoe in either direction. In this manner it is simply necessary for the operator to-press down upon the foot V piece m in order to raise the forward ends of the lever and its extensions m so as to engage the pin 7' and raise the hoe and its rod upwardly within-hollow standard K and above the line of plants.

In the operation of the machine power is transmitted to the counter shaft F from the traction wheels D through the connections before mentioned and from the counter shaft the crank shaft vH is rotated at a se lected speed to give the hoe a desired speed through the friction members F and H and the necessary adjustment of the latter is obtained by the use of the adjusting lever H I claim 1. In a machine of the character ,de-

scribed, an oscillatory chopping hoe comprising a blade having an upwardly rojecting rod, a tubular standard pivote at its upper end to swing and provided at a 7 point intermediate its ends wlth a longitudinal slot, a pin secured to the hoe rod and projecting outwardly through the slot in the standard and means for engagement with said pin to adjust t-heehoe rod vertically during the swinging movement of the standard. I

2. A machine of the character described the combination of a frame, a hoe consisting of a blade having a ve rtically projecting rod, a tubular standaii d within which the upper end of the hoe od is movable, having a vertical series of pivot openings adjacent its upper end and provided with an intermediate longitudinal slot, a pin secured to the upper inner end of the hoe rod and projecting outwardly through the slot, brackets upstanding from the frame, a pivot pin supported by the brackets and adapted for engaging through selected pivot openings of the standard, and a foot lever intermediately pivoted on the frame, having a foot piece at oneend and provided with upwardly curved lateral extensions at its opposite end disposed beneath the outwardly projecting pin of the hoe rod, for the purpose described.

3. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a frame, a chopping hoe consisting of a blade having a vertically projecting rod, a tubular standard having an adjustable pivot adjacent its upper end Within the frame, and within the lower end of which the hoe rod is extended, means whereby to permit of limited move ment of the hoe rod with respect to the standard, and ineans mounted on the frame for moving the hoe rod with respect to the standard when desired.

JAMES A. LOVE. Witnesses:

JOHN J. THROWER, W. N. GIBSON. 

